Destination. Many times, life doesn't work out the way we've planned it. When we expect we'd get to our desired destination soon, it turns out Fate already has some plans for us. Many times they're nasty, though sometimes they might just be good.

Sebastian and Laura had set out in order to get to know more about angels. They'd planned to get to the mysterious Padre who was supposed to had such divine angelic control. However, they halted at the outskirts of the town and this place became their new destination. Was this place also destined to be their final destination?

Let's find out.

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No matter how many cars he had to overtake rather recklessly, Sebastian showed no sign of slowing down; instead he'd just speed on. More swift was the flow of a million thoughts in his head. And further fierce was his resolve to destroy Delroy.

Sebastian ignored the shouts of drivers and pedestrians as he hurried along the highway.
His chevy almost brushed against another car and he was this close to destroy an old couple crossing the road. But even a baby's cradle won't lessen his speed.

Sebastian took a sharp turn to avoid falling into a valley. The wide highway had now changed into a narrow route slithering along the hills and mountains that marked the end of the town. His destination, the grand Motel Risotto which sprawled over a hill Sebastian was circling now, lied just a kilometre away. He halted once the glimmers of a big neon board 'MOTEL RISOTTO' hit his eyes.

The motel was unlike any motel Sebastian had ever been to. A wide staircase that emerged from the top of the hill terminated at where he stood. Big metal gates separated the property from the narrow roads.

Sebastian hurried inside the gates ignoring the calls of two guards who now ran after him asking for passes. Sebastian's classic car partially blocking the road was another issue. However, he paid no heed to such matters. He'd a nasty demon to deal with, once and for all.

A third guard emerged seemingly from no where who stopped the guys after Sebastian. This puzzled him and took a quick glance over his shoulders. A pair of black eyes gleamed at him from some distance.

"Don't bother. He's a guest of Master Delroy's." The demon dispersed the guards who returned to the gates. The black-eyes however didn't move even by an inch.

"You should hurry. It's 5 minutes to 10." The black eyes said with a manner of urgency. Sebastian, confused whether or not to beat the crap out of this well-mannered son of a bitch, sprinted further upstairs. Whoever built Motel Risotto, he sure had a craze of altitude, Sebastian wondered as he hurried further into the property.

Finally, the stairs terminated to a luxurious lawn bordered by exotic flowers. Pleasant fragrances welcomed Sebastian's arrival. At the centre of the garden stood a humongous fountain. A number of lamps adorned the boundaries of the lawn. They casted a purple glow over the entire garden which strangely soothed Sebastian. The pleasant noise of the waters and the fragrance of flowers was an experience so wonderful Sebastian almost forgot about his intent for a moment.

He walked across the beautiful lawn, circled the fountain and emerged at another entrance. These giant gates, unlike the ones earlier, were slammed shut. A building as luxurious as a manor perhaps sat on the other side of the gates. It was ancient built, with huge bricks of shiny black stones which glistened in the moonlight. A single tall tower rose from the centre of the building where a giant lamp was lit up.

Sebastian walked towards the door. Perhaps he'd find Delroy there. Perhaps his aunt was kept there. The moment the thought of his aunt came to his mind, Sebastian's breath became uneasy.

He remembered the night when Alzaknos had appeared seemingly out of no where and disrupted everything in one single night. He force-feeded Laura demon blood which must've tainted her inner side. He not only harmed him and Uncle Rob but also took away his dear aunt.

Ever since that day, Uncle Rob had been relentlessly looking for her. He searched every where, referred every script, did everything he could in order to find where his soul mate had disappeared. And then Delroy came in the play.

He promised uncle Rob he'd give him Jane if he forced Sebastian to trade Laura. Rob obviously declined the offer several times. But in the wake of realisation of his failed attempts, of his despair that he'd never get his soul mate, his Jane back on his own, the broken man finally gave in. Devastated by his emotions, he never realised he'd unnoticingly made a deal with the demon who put his disguised clauses so cunningly, Rob had already said yes before giving a second thought. He was broken, he was desperate. And this brokenness, this desperation made him unwise.

Uncle Rob ended up doing a very unreasonable deal with Delroy. He'd convince Sebastian to trade away Laura in exchange of Jane and in case of his failure, he'd have to give Delroy his most priceless, most precious possession - his soul.

After hearing the broken man's tale, Sebastian had no choice but to come face to face with Delroy and try to break his uncle's deal while somehow managing to save both Laura and his aunt. And himself, too.

Uncle Rob had made a deal with Delroy. It was a Demon Deal, way riskier than the ones big millionaires and billionaires did. For one single disregard of the clauses could result in the loss of one's self, one's soul.

Was trusting demons wise? For as much as he believed tonight he'd meet his aunt again, as much as he believed he'd keep the one promise he'd given his uncle, a part of him also believed he'd walked to his doom.

As soon as the guards at the gates saw him, the gates creaked open.

Sebastian stood there, confused what to do. How could he be so reckless. How could he come here to face the worst enemy he'd ever known without a plan? But did he have any choice?

"Oh, am I glad? You've made it!" Came a cheerful voice from the other side of the now open gates.

The cold of the voice was so prominent it made Sebastian' s thoughts spiral out his brain. A sense of dread spread over the garden as Delroy emerged through the gates, a wilted rose in his hand.

He rose the rose to his nose and gave a satisfied sigh.

"Aha, the roses here are just so divine." He said still sniffing at the dead rose.

"Dear Pellucia, go give some roses to my dear Seb. It's been a while since we met." He said handing over the wilted rose to a nervous Pellucia who shyly obeyed her master. She was as fat as Delroy was, if not fatter. Her red hair were neatly combed and were so long they brushed against the lawn as she walked. Her thick lips were painted red and similar was the colour of her outfit. Overall, she resembled a big tomato. A big fat ripe tomato with thick lipstick.

"I'm not here for any roses." Sebastian said, trying to control the anger in his voice. However, he looked so furious that Pellucia stopped midway, the rose falling on the lawn below. A tear escaped her eyes as she made her way back to Delroy, her hair dancing all the way.

"Oh look, what you've done." Delroy said in a disheartened tone. He hugged Pellucia and ruffled her hair saying it's okay. Sebastian couldn't help but notice their tummies bumping into one another's. The sight however didn't make him laugh; the night was pretty serious.

"Where is Aunt Jane?" Sebastian said. He sounded grave.

"Oh, straight to the business, are we? Ok, then lets talk business. Kids these days still don't know any manners. They won't even ask their old uncles how their health is or at least say 'Good -" Delroy paused abruptly.

"I asked where my aunt is, Delroy. So better tell me or else I'll pull out that filthy tongue of yours and strangle you with those pretty hair." Sebastian muttered angrily and so threateningly, Pellucia hid behind Delroy, clutching at her priceless hair. Though the colour of her face vanished when Sebastian mentioned her hair, a mad look developed on her face.

Delroy's drama had made Sebastian used to a funny side of demons - they could pretend to be stupid, dumb and sensitive. They could also act greatly frightened at times. They're masters of pretence and deceptions. However, he was certain Pellucia wasn't pretending. Something was obviously wrong with her.

"Is this the way you talk to elders, Sebastian? Haven't your parents taught you anything?" Delroy said.

"Right, if you had any." A cold laughter shook Delroy's fat cheeks.

"Oh I still remember how I forced your father to kill your mother, how her blood sputtered all over the floor...but you know what incident I treasure from that wonderful night, what moment I cherish the most? You know?" Delroy shouted with such childish excitement that he almost jumped.

"It's how you, my dear Seb, it's how you killed your own father." Delroy said, unable to contain his excitement.

Sebastian was at a loss of words. Every word the wretched creature spoke hurt like an arrow of flame to his heart. Every inch of Delroy's lips that curled into a cunning smile added to his unrest.

However, contradictory to what Delroy and probably most of us felt, Sebastian had a different feeling about his deed that night. Though the feeling wasn't too intense like Delroy did but its existence couldn't be denied. Deep down, Sebastian was proud of his most sinful action he'd committed in all his life. He was glad he killed his father. However, further deeper in his heart, he also felt bad about it. No matter how monstrous his father was to him, he was his father after all.

"I killed my own father. Doesn't it scare you, dear uncle? I won't think a second time until my sword has ripped that ugly throat of yours into a million pieces." Sebastian pronounced every word with such great stress that for the first time he felt powerful enough to actually bring down the nasty creature now grinning before him menacingly.

"Oh, easy there. Dear Pellucia, would you show him our little gift we've been preparing for dear Sebastian since morning?" Delroy said not showing a slightest response to his threatens.

"Welcome, dear...um...Sebastian." Pellucia emerged from behind Delroy and spoke in the most horrible voice Sebastian had ever heard. She sounded worse that Pamela when she had severe cough. Her voice was perhaps heavier than her entire self.

"I've...um...knitted...um...this scarf for you." Pellucia's heavy voice was equally light in confidence and was so childish Sebastian felt he was hearing an overgrown baby talk. She fluttered a white silk scarf in front of her and rose it above her head.

"We come in peace." Delroy said while patting Pellucia who smiled so widely as if she'd gotten a 100 in math, or killed a vampire in one shot as Sebastian would compare it.

"Amazing, Pellucia, wonderfully done." Delroy muttered under his breath.

"So, dear Seb, where were we? Right, the deal. In any deal, it's necessary we keep our word and it's a primary duty to observe discipline. Your words of violence can break the clause I and your dear uncle Rob discussed. So I hope you understand the gravity of the simple word 'deal'. And you are my dear nephew, so, I'm telling you. I'm a demon. This is a deal between you and me; a Demon Deal. And there's a reason why people stay away from Demon Deals." Delroy said as started walking around in the lawn, approaching Sebastian.

"Though I'm not here for soul this time, I very well can create conditions to gain one simply by using your own words in the favour of my will. So beware of what you say. Ancient laws unspoken of govern the deals with creatures old and wise and strong like us..." Delroy began his lecture but was rudely interrupted. Sebastian had never gone to school. Neither did he have any manners to respect the elderly, according to Delroy's frequent complaints.

"Where is Aunt Jane?" Sebastian said.

"I won't ask again." He further continued with a threatening tone.

"Well, since this was the first time you were making a Demon Deal, indirectly actually, I was going to make you aware of some of the important bindings of the deal. But you are just like your father. Have you forgotten, it was a deal he made with me that forced-" Delroy abruptly stopped and sighed with great relief.

"See, it was a deal that stopped me from revealing a small secret here. Anyway, you've lost the chance to know the ins and outs of the deal. So, we'll directly move on." He said and before Sebastian would threaten or given his mood, perhaps stab him, Delroy moved to the point Sebastian had been waiting for.

"Sebastian Deathstar, son of Julian Deathstar, the late Lord of the now deceased Merigrimmian Deathstars," Delroy spoke in a practised business manner.

"I'm sorry for the loss, by the way." Delroy added making a sympathetic face momentarily. His stern expressions and emotionless voice was back again when he pronounced the rest of the deal.

"I, Dolovan Delroy, servant of Gudruk, servant of Master Alzaknoss, the Lord of the West Tithriss, propose a deal. I offer you Lady Jane for Miss Laura Hannigan, the Vessel. Do you accept the deal?" Delroy said.

Sebastian must've thought if Delroy had lost his mind. The deal was made between him and uncle Rob a week ago. And to respect that deal Sebastian had come here leaving every matter aside.

However, Sebastian did know the way Demon Deals worked. Uncle Rob had made the deal orally. Just like a written agreement is necessary for all business deals common people make, a similar process is necessary for Demon Deals. Sebastian, on behalf of Uncle Rob, was completing the formality of the Deal.

"I accept." Sebastian said ignoring the one clause Delroy tactically kept him unaware of.

A smile spread across Delroy's face. He walked over to Sebastian who instinctively took a defensive stance.

"That's not how these deals work, Seb." Delroy said pulling out a dagger from his cloak which surprised Sebastian. But what he did next was something Sebastian would never have expected.

"Remove your soulblade." He said. Sebastian, puzzled, quickly obeyed.

Delroy extended his arm and in a blink of an eye stabbed his arm. A thick stream of blood started oozing from his pale flesh which coloured the grass beneath to a shade of blackish red.

Sebastian did the same with his hand and a similar line of crimson red coloured his arm and trickled below.

He then extended his arm and gestured Sebastian to hold it. Confused, Sebastian wrapped his palm about Delroy's. Before obeying Delroy, he made sure the soulblade was gripped properly in his other hand.

"Don't try anything fishy." Sebastian said threateningly. He moved his other hand, the one with the soulblade, closer to Delroy.

"I'm just sealing the deal, Seb. If I wanted to kill you, I think I have had plenty of opportunities tonight." Delroy said.

"And that trying that tiny little blade on me would be your most futile move mankind has seen, Seb. So don't bring dishonour to your dear uncle me." Delroy said and Sebastian, showing reason to his previous statement, backed away his blade. The grip remained tight however.

Delroy waved his other hand and the two streams of blood that had flown from their cuts on the grass beneath, gained momentum towards each other. As Sebastian watched in confusion, the dark stream met with his crimson and formed a tiny ring on the lawn just below their hands met. Delroy muttered under his breath in strange tongue. A nasty look rose on his face. The violet lamps wavered as the wind grew fiercer. A thick balck liquid concentrated in the tiny ring and kept on growing. Sebastian wondered from where the liquid was coming. The amount of blood that escaped his and Delroy's arms shouldn't have been enough to resource the thick current of dark liquid circling on its own in the tiny spot.

Finally, when Sebastian thought Delroy had tricked him in something way nastier than a Demon Deal, the wind subsided and so did the dirty thick liquid. It seeped in the lawn and not a trace remained.

"It's done." He sighed with relief.

"So, I was telling you before, Demon Deals are feared the most; you know why? There's an interesting clause people forget in their desperation and their confusion to concentrate on." He said as he retreated his hand.

"In the failure of fulfilment of all clauses, the dealer has to pay the final price to the demon- his soul." Delroy smiled greedily.

"Thus, dear Seb, if you fall prey to your feelings, you'd risk not only your soul, but, by extension, also uncle Rob's." The cunning smile on Delroy's face and the sinister pleasure in his eyes had no limits.

A/N AUTHOR'S NOTE :

I'm well aware that Demon Deals, if such a thing really does exist, are quite different from the way I described the process. Given that the existence of demons itself is questionable, so is the concept of Demon Dealing. So, I've taken full liberty to redesign the demon deal process to suit the tale's needs. I hope that's not a problem.

( just clarified, so when you wish to make a demon deal, let the concerned demon do his thing peacefully. Though tell him that my procedure looks cool. Lol )